Thursday, July 23, 2009
British Embassy confirms Savage still banned
Michael Savage's Website Link
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government | 23 July 2009
Obama Accused by Lawyers of Stonewalling on Terror Questioning --Attorneys: Govt officials 'no more helpful than Bush administration' 23 Jul 2009 Lawyers for suspected terrorists at the U.S.'s Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba accused the Obama administration of failing to live up to its pledge of transparency and provide information that could free the detainees. The attorneys said government officials have been no more helpful than the Bush administration in sharing transcripts of interrogations of their clients. The prisoners may have been subject to harsh methods and possibly torture, the lawyers said.
Iraq PM admits US troops may stay 23 Jul 2009 The Iraqi prime minister has admitted US troops could stay in the country beyond 2011. Under the US-Iraq Status of Forces agreement, which sets out a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, American troops must exit the country by December 31, 2011. Al-Maliki's apparent willingness for US forces to stay in Iraq beyond the 2011 deadline comes a day after he met Barack Obama, the US president, at the White House.
Iraqi police official: 4 killed in attack 22 Jul 2009 A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq says American soldiers have killed two people who 'attempted to throw grenades' at a convoy west of Baghdad. In addition, Lt. Col. Philip Smith says one civilian was killed and four were wounded during the attack Tuesday on the American convoy in Abu Ghraib. An Iraqi police official gives a conflicting account of casualties. He says four civilians _ a boy and three bus drivers _ were killed when U.S. forces opened fire on the attackers near a bus station.
U.S. Military Holds Iraqi Journalist Without Charge by Quil Lawrence 20 Jul 2009 American forces arrested Iraqi journalist Ibrahim Jassam last year and continue to hold him without charge in a U.S. military prison camp -- even as the United States transfers jurisdiction to Iraqi authorities... One morning in September 2008, hours before dawn, a combined U.S. and Iraqi force cordoned off Jassam's neighborhood. They broke down the door of the house where he lived with his parents and siblings, handcuffed Jassam and dragged him away in his underwear.
Blackwater Seeks Gag Order By Jeremy Scahill 22 Jul 2009 It became common practice during the Iraq occupation for the US State Department to work with private security companies like Blackwater to help facilitate giving what amounted to hush money to the families of Iraqis shot dead by private security contractors... Now, Blackwater (which recently renamed itself "Xe") is attempting to use other means to silence its victims. On July 20, the company's high-powered lawyers from Mayer Brown, which boasts that it represents eighty-nine of the Fortune 100 companies and thirty-five of the fifty largest US banks, filed a motion in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to impose a gag order on Iraqi civilians suing the company.
KBR sued over headscarf ban 23 Jul 2009 KBR, the Houston-based war contractor, is already facing numerous legal troubles -- over toxic burn pits, the electrocution deaths of U.S. soldiers due to faulty wiring, exposing troops to a cancer-causing chemical, involvement in human trafficking, and rapes of women employees in Iraq. Now it's facing fresh woes for firing a Muslim employee for wearing a headscarf. A lawsuit was filed against KBR in federal court this month by Karen Tounkara, a contract nurse hired to prepare company workers heading to Iraq.
U.S. warns Israel not to build up West Bank corridor 24 Jul 2009 The U.S. administration has issued a stiff warning to Israel not to build in the area known as E-1, which lies between Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim. Any change in the status quo in E-1 would be "extremely damaging," even "corrosive," the message said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed in the past to finally build the controversial E-1 housing project - as have several premiers before him, though none has done so due to American pressure.
US trooper killed in attack in Afghanistan 23 Jul 2009 A U.S. service member was killed Thursday in an 'insurgent' attack in the country's volatile south, a U.S. military official said, raising to 35 the number of American troops to die in the Afghan war this month.
Pakistan Seeks More U.S. Military Aid 23 Jul 2009 Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani on Wednesday called on the United States to provide real-time intelligence, unmanned aircraft technology and other military assistance to help his country combat the Taliban without relying on attacks from U.S. drones. Gillani raised the issue with Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, who is on his fourth visit here since becoming the U.S. envoy to the region, according to a statement from the prime minister's office. [Oh, my God. See: US to send $110 million in emergency aid to Pakistan 19 May 2009; Pakistan to get billions from U.S. despite oversight concerns 27 Mar 2009; Taleban tax: allied supply convoys pay their enemies for safe passage: West funding insurgency in Afghanistan with Taleban payoff system --"We estimate that approximately 25 per cent of the money we pay for security to get the fuel in goes into the pockets of the Taleban." 12 Dec 2008 The West is indirectly funding the insurgency in Afghanistan thanks to a system of payoffs to Taleban commanders who charge protection money to allow convoys of military supplies to reach Nato bases in the south of the country; Billions in U.S. Aid to Pakistan Wasted, Officials Assert 24 Dec 2007; US Senate approves Pakistan aid worth $785m 20 Dec 2007.]
Bin Laden's son may have been killed: US official 23 Jul 2009 One of Osama bin Laden's sons "may be dead," a US counterterrorism official told AFP Thursday, after reports he was likely killed by a US missile strike in Pakistan earlier this year. "There are some indications that he may be dead, but it's not 100 percent certain," the official said. "If he is dead, Saad bin Laden was a small player with a big name. He has never been a major operational figure." An administration official said the Al-Qaeda leader's third-oldest son "was likely killed in Pakistan."
New Yorker Consulted Al-Qaeda About Transit Attack 23 Jul 2009 A New York man who pleaded guilty to launching a rocket attack on a U.S. military base in Afghanistan said he provided information to al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] leaders about New York City’s transit system for a bomb attack, court records say. Bryant Neal Vinas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, providing material support to a terrorist organization and receiving military-type training from a terrorist group on Jan. 28, according to court records in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
Chicago: F-16 fighter jets conduct military test overnight 21 Jul 2009 Around 1 a.m. last night, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) successfully carried out a military exercise over the Chicago area involving F-16 fighter jets. The training involved at least one plane headed toward downtown from the north and another going west, according to witnesses.
D.C.: NORAD To Conduct Exercise Over DC Area 21 Jul 2009 The North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct a one-day exercise in the Washington area. The exercise, called Falcon Virgo 09-10, will be conducted beginning early Wednesday. The exercise will include training flights conducted in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Command Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, the Continental U.S. NORAD Region, Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and others.
'The company had been preparing for a pandemic for the last three-and-a-half years.' Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline predicts swine flu gold rush 22 Jul 2009 Britain's biggest pharmaceutical company is preparing to sell £3bn worth of swine flu drugs this year, it emerged today. GlaxoSmithKline revealed its vaccine, one of the world's first, could be available by September after the UK government placed advance orders for 60m doses. The chief executive, Andrew Witty, said the company had been preparing for a pandemic for the last three-and-a-half years and had spent more than £1bn to ensure its factories could crank up production at short notice.
Roche sales of Tamiflu soar 200% 23 Jul 2009 Swiss drugs firm Roche has seen sales of Tamiflu - the main drug being used to fight the swine flu pandemic - rise by 200% in the first half of the year. Sales of the drug hit 1bn Swiss francs ($937m; £567m), as Roche said Tamiflu production would be expanded to 400 million packs annually by early 2010. [See: Donald Rumsfeld makes $5m killing on bird flu drug 12 Mar 2006 Donald Rumsfeld has made a killing out of bird flu. The US Defence Secretary has made more than $5m (£2.9m) in capital gains from selling shares in the biotechnology firm that discovered and developed Tamiflu.]
Anti-Squalene Antibodies Link Gulf War Syndrome to Anthrax Vaccine 23 Jul 2009 Data published in the February 2000 and August 2002 issues of Experimental and Molecular Pathology strongly suggests that Gulf War Syndrome is caused by a vaccine contaminated with squalene. The August 2002 article is entitled "Antibodies to Squalene in Recipients of Anthrax Vaccine" (Exp. Mol. Pathol. 73,19-27 (2002)). [Guess what's in the (untested) flu vaccine? Vaccine May Be More Dangerous Than Swine Flu --Vaccine contains squalene and gp120 By Dr. Russell Blaylock 07 Jul 2009.]
Cases of swine flu have doubled to 100,000 in one week 23 Jul 2009 Cases of swine flu have doubled in one week with 100,000 people diagnosed with the virus last week, officials have announced. Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer, said there are 840 patients in hospital in England with swine flu and 63 of them are in critical care. Children are being hit the hardest and there are relatively few cases amongst the elderly as it is thought they may have some immunity to H1N1 from previous pandemics.
U.S. spy chief sees more private sector input 22 Jul 2009 U.S. intelligence will seek more input from the private sector and outside experts such as academics to support core spy agencies, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said on Wednesday. In a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he described a future in which intelligence professionals remained at the center but outside elements also provided expertise.
FBI Processes 600 Billion Fingerprints Per Day 23 Jul 2009 WBNS News CrimeTracker 10 reports about an advanced federal research facility that processes 600 billion fingerprints a day underground. The FBI’s multi-billion dollar, two football-field-sized Criminal Justice Information Services building stores roughly 60 million sets of fingerprints and helps law enforcement...
Dow Closes Above 9,000 for First Time Since January 24 Jul 2009 Markets on Wall Street and in Europe moved higher on Thursday, with the Dow pushing past 9,000 for the first time since early January. Thursday’s push was fueled by some better-than-expected earnings reports, including one from the Ford Motor Company, and the latest government report on housing, which said that the sale of existing home rose 3.6 percent in June, the third consecutive monthly increase.
Rep. Kaptur Sticks an IED Inside Paulson and Then Presses 'BOOM' By Daily Bail 22 Jul 2009 "The Greatest Hail Mary Pass Of All Time." "What Interests Me Is Who You Helped And Whom You Didn't." "History Will Show That You Knew About Wall Street's Growing Losses Long Before The Bank Of America, Merrill Lynch Merger." "What Your Orchestration Yielded Was An Unprecedented Dumping Of Private Sector Losses On The Next Three Generations." Do not hesitate. Watch this clip now.
Useless is as useless does: Reid: No Vote on Health-Care Reform Before Aug. Recess 23 Jul 2009 Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) confirmed Thursday that the Senate would not pass health-care reform legislation before the August recess. That the Senate would miss President Obama's Aug. 7 deadline had been obvious for days, if not weeks, as the Finance Committee methodically crafts the one version of the legislation that is expected to gain bipartisan support succor the pharma-terrorists. But Reid finally made it official, informing reporters that he had granted a request for more time from GOP negotiators.
Christian right aims to change history lessons in Texas schools --State's education board to consider adding Christianity's role in American history to curriculum 22 Jul 2009 The Christian right is making a fresh push to force religion onto the school curriculum in Texas with the state's education board about to consider recommendations that children be taught that there would be no United States if it had not been for God. Members of a panel of experts appointed by the board to revise the state's history curriculum, who include a Christian fundamentalist preacher who says he is fighting a war for America's moral soul, want lessons to emphasise the part played by Christianity in the founding of the US and that religion is a civic virtue.
Obama Criticizes Arrest of Harvard Professor 23 Jul 2009 President Obama bluntly accused the police of acting "stupidly" in arresting the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. last week after an officer had established that Mr. Gates had not broken into his own home in Cambridge, Mass. Mr. Obama stopped short of accusing the police department of racial profiling, as Mr. Gates has done. But at a prime-time White House news conference that was otherwise largely devoted to health care, Mr. Obama weighed in on the Gates case and suggested that the police should never have arrested him.
Public Corruption Investigation Nets Prominent N.J. Politicians --Federal Agents Arrest 44 People for Corruption, International Money Laundering 23 Jul 2009 Federal agents on Thursday arrested 44 people -- including three New Jersey mayors, other politicians and several rabbis -- as part of a major investigation of corruption and international money laundering schemes that included the trafficking of human kidneys between Israel and the United States, authorities said.
New Jersey mayors and rabbis arrested in corruption investigation 23 Jul 2009 Two New Jersey mayors and dozens of political and religious figures were arrested today and charged in a massive bribery and money laundering scheme that included traffic in human body parts. As part of an 10-year investigation into pervasive public corruption in New Jersey, hundreds of FBI agents fanned out across the state this morning to make arrests and search offices. Later, law enforcement vehicles crowded in front of agency offices as agents waited to unload their quarry.
EPA Administrator Acknowledges Need to Clean Up Vieques By Brendan DeMelle 23 Jul 2009 EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson acknowledged the need to clean up the island of Vieques in her address at the national convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) last week. In her speech at LULAC, Jackson explained that EPA wants "to have a few long-overdue conversations, and get moving forward together on critical environmental issues." She noted the "tragic consequences" of "what happens when you are on the margin of the environmental conversation."
White Sox Mark Buehrle Throws Perfect Game --Pitcher Throws First Perfect Game in Five Years, His Second No Hitter 23 Jul 2009 Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle took the mound today for an afternoon start against the Tampa Bay Rays and walked off hours later as just the 18th pitcher in Major League Baseball to throw a perfect game, the first in five years. The 5-0 win was Buehrle's second career no hitter, making him just the sixth in MLB history to throw both a perfect game and a no-hitter.
Previous lead stories: UnitedHealth Group Q2 Profit Jumps 155% 22 Jul 2009 Health care company UnitedHealth Group Inc. said Tuesday that its second quarter profit more than doubled from last year, but its health insurance enrollment continued to decline amid the economic recession. The Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company reported second quarter net income of $859 million, or 73 cents per share, compared with only $337 million, or 27 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Last year’s results included a pretax charge of $922 million, or 47 cents per share, however.
'Swine flu is going to be positive for the performance [of the company].' Glaxo unmasked: drug firm to make £1bn from swine flu 23 Jul 2009 Britain's largest pharmaceuticals company could make up to £1bn from sales of its swine flu vaccine by the end of the year, industry analysts said yesterday as the first trials of the drug began in Australia. GlaxoSmithKline is to sell the vaccine for up to £6 a dose in Western countries, and the first supplies are due to arrive in Britain in September. Andrew Witty, GSK's chief executive, refused to apologise for the boost in earnings, pointing out that GSK had invested more than $2.5bn (£1.5bn) in its vaccine [pandemic] development programme over the past few years.
Swine flu vaccine will need compensation rules: Expert --No plans here to aid those injured from the immunization 21 Jul 2009 A leading public health expert is calling on Canada to create a no-fault compensation program for people who may be harmed by a swine flu vaccine that millions of Canadians will be urged by the government to get this fall. Kumanan Wilson, Canada research chair in public health at the University of Ottawa, said in an interview with Canwest News Service that children and adults could be exposed to an incompletely tested vaccine and that a compensation scheme is needed to encourage the public to buy into any mass immunization program. [We are not 'buying into' Baxter's pandemic propaganda promoting their WMDs. --LRP]
Earthweek.com Image | Indonesia's Mount Tambora Volcano - Produced greated eruption in recorded history in 1815
On April 10, 1815, Indonesia's Tambora Volcano produced the world's greatest eruption in recorded history.
An estimated 36 cubic miles of exploded rock and ash were spewed into the atmosphere, with debris from the eruption coloring the sky, tinting the rain and snow as well as floating on bodies of water around the world.
Approximately 12,000 people died as a direct result of the explosion, the choking rain of ash and fire, and from the tsunamis the eruption generated.
Enough ash was put into the atmosphere to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching Earth’s surface, which caused a brief global cooling. The following year, 1816, went down in history as the “year without a summer.”
The diminished sunlight caused crop failures around the planet, resulting in famine across China and later in Ireland.
Food was also scare elsewhere, causing prices to rise across Europe. The shortages provoked riots in Britain, France and Germany.
The photo of Tambora to the upper right was taken by an astronaut orbiting on the International Space Station on June 3, 2009.
It shows a huge caldera, measuring nearly 4 miles in diameter and 3,600 feet deep. It was formed when Tambora’s estimated 13,000-foot peak was blown off by the eruption followed by the draining of the magma chamber below.
Visible on the crater floor are a freshwater lake, recent sedimentary deposits and minor lava flows and domes that resulted from volcanic activity during the 19th and 20th centuries. Layered debris deposits are visible along the northwestern crater rim. Active fumaroles, or steam vents, still exist in the caldera.
In 2004, scientists discovered evidence of a village, and the remains of two adults buried beneath approximately 10 feet of ash in a gully on Tambora’s flank.
The village was a remnant of the former Kingdom of Tambora preserved by the 1815 eruption that destroyed it. The similarity of the Tambora site to that associated with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 AD has led to it being described as “the Pompeii of the East.”
Cave Editorial | Thursday 23July09
I just returned from what I personally call my Morning Walkabout ... I take my cup of coffee and meander about my back yard. One of my favorite sitting places is by my Bog Bridge with its cattails next to my beloved Cyprus tree. It's hard to believe that my backyard was so empty when I purchased my house now about 3 years ago - when a pile of cement blocks was the centerpiece of the backyard essentially where my pond (3,000 gal.) is located now. 
I am a "pushing 60 year old single woman" and my backyard is what I call the manifestation of my soul - and hours of using my handy-dandy shovel and my trusty pick-ax. All the work being done by me ... and, I don't know how many pounds of bricks I have carried around!
I live in Nebraska - the state called happy due to its low unemployment and its state unicameral that tries to run a balanced budget. The majority of bankers in this state were not giving out home loans on zero down and this state is definitely
fiscally conservative.To be completely honest there is NOT a place I would rather live. The weather has its extremes - and I grew up as a child jumping into the family stationwagon with my parents as my father was one of the tornado spotters for our small community... I am no stranger to watching the sky. Just got done reading articles about the tornado damage in Denver .. where are we now safe from extremes in weather?
I created my backyard with its series of pathways leading to separate little patios or sitting places - there is my bog bridge
view as there is my wildflower view patio and the bird/squirrel feeding patio where I can watch the little guys devour their seeds and take their baths. I planted white clover as the ground cover throughout the backyard and there is no need to get my lawn mower out. All my plants are perennials - so definitely low maintenance!My home is a tiny one-bedroom almost 100 year old stucco house that I complete remodeled when I purchased the property. The roof is now a rubber roof and all the water that my roof catches from rains is moved through a french system I dug last year that runs into my pond - providing for water excha
nges for my pond. Overflow from my pond goes into my Bog (hate to count the number of bags of peat moss I loaded into that bog!). Love my bog and its cattails that I can see from my kitchen window. After a 4" rain last year my bog barely overflowed into one of my wildflower beds so does retain the water.I have what I call my vineyard with my concord grape vine appearing to have an abundance of grapes again this year - its so relatively young. My other vines are still babies planted this year.
My two cherry trees provided me cherries in June and were so pretty this spring when they were flowering. My plum trees is growing so and maybe by next spring I will be picking plums. My pear tree provided one little pear last season .. too cute.
This morning as I was doing my usual Walkabout with my cup of coffee and my 3 little dogs busy doing their morning investigation of new smells from visiting bunnies and who knows what ... I held on to a thought and decided to contemplate upon it.
I am a teacher of sorts on the subject area of how thoughts are mental objects that pass through our arena of consciousness - we have the option of using our hands of awareness to grasp them or allow them to pass on ... there are always new thought objects that will take their place.
The thought I chose to hold was that of giving up on my current event blog - this one that I am posting upon. Months ago I experienced a real need to try to wake people up to the need to get into preparation for the upcoming economic collapse of this nation. I concur with Clif High - if people aren't awake now there is not much that will wake them up until they are really hungry.
I have been visiting some forums relating to current events - political, economic and such as the Web Bot forum. It is obvious the yuppies now are waking up - and as it was said "you'd better get your long term storage food and gold/silver before the yuppies wake up - and shortages begin". That is is now. I can picture the pallets of freeze dried food being delivered into the garages of rich yuppies.
My 4 grown children have laughed about how if some robber looked in my windows they wouldn't see anything they would want to steal - I don't have a television and my computer is of the old kind. What self-respecting robber would steal my little brown paper bags of seeds? Pallets of freeze dried food will one of these days be a real heist. As it has also been said, "what will you do when your storage foods run out?"
.I am the type of person that says "my day lilies are eatable - from the roots to the blooms and very high in vitamins" - and my 4 grown children roll their eyes. For example,
From all the sumac I have in my backyard I tell them how they can make lemonaid from the sumac berries. And, when my coffee runs out, there are plenty of dandelion roots to roast making a good coffee substitute.
Twenty+ years ago when I was a single mom of those 4 now grown children essentially attempting to raise them in poverty I made the decision to start training myself to send prayers of gratitude to this miraculous Universe for the gift of WATER when I was making my first cup of coffee in the morning. NO ONE needed to tell me about the human's NEED for water. I personally get a little annoyed when people think of water as some utility.
We are a nation under attack by a bioweapon lab's flu virus and a vaccine that is probably going to be the real killer when dancing with the crap we've been ingesting from chem trails. Our nation's money system is doing its death dance that will end up in its funeral with herds of angry humans running amuck. Our solar system is on its cyclic course that is taking it through a place where scientists talk about what has happen to the sun and the earth's magnetosphere. Move the planet a bit on its axis and that bulge around the equator will be moving along with the oceans ... then there is idiot humans with nuclear weapons and our nation and it's military industrial complex and being the military arm of the PowersThatBe. If that isn't enough our government is allowing its people to be poisoned by its food and water supply due to being in bed with BigPharma and those thinking they own a seed.
Keeping my sense of humor. Told my pond turtle (red earred slider) SubWay that if worse comes to worse there is 3,000 gallons of water in his pond ... he and his fish and frog buddies may have to share some.
Just wait until our dollar becomes worthless pieces of crap in the global market place and we start paying heating bills this winter ... and my hot water heater (a luxury) will be one of the first luxuries to go and I will be finding inexpensive ways to heat my water.
I wonder if a few global huge volcanoes start to really blow - will solar panels be affected by the polluted atmosphere that may result from such volcanic ash? Then you can think what a good earthquake could possibly do to your incoming and outgoing water/sewage pipes - let alone natural gas pipelines.
How do you really prep for what Clif High calls an EPIC time in human history? News about New Zealand moving closer to Australia because of a massive earthquake was not in the news when I was growing up! Plus the government wasn't giving $trillions of taxpayers' money to offshore banksters. What a time to be experiencing!
The Republic of Lakota | The Will to Resist
Weekend Update #22: The Will to Resist from Russell Means on Vimeo.
Joyce Riley's THE POWER HOUR NEWS - July 23, 2009
Doc at center of VA cancer probe admits errors -- A doctor accused of botching dozens of prostate cancer surgeries at a Veterans Administration hospital admitted Monday that he sometimes missed his target when implanting radioactive seeds, leaving patients with incorrect dosages.
Volunteers sought for testing swine flu shots -- The government called Wednesday for several thousand volunteers to start rolling up their sleeves for the first swine flu shots, in a race to test whether a new vaccine really will protect against the virus before its expected rebound in the fall.
Mass flu vaccination would be madness -- The current threat of swine flu doesn’t justify a gamble on a vaccine that has not been fully tested!!
Think H1N1 is bad now? Wait till flu season -- Although the good news is that most H1N1/09 illnesses have been extremely mild, the rapidity of its spread — and the fact that young people seem to be especially vulnerable — still worries global health officials. "We don't know if it will actually ever completely go away," says David Butler Jones, the public health chief of Canada, which has been unusually hard-hit. "We're still seeing new cases, so nobody should let down their guard." There is always a chance that the virus could become more virulent when it returns in the fall — just as the deadly 1918 pandemic did.
Wireless patient tracking to halt contagion including swine flu -- It is time for our government to enact legislation requiring mandatory patient and caregiver tracking in hospitals and medical centers. We have a right to know if we have come in contact with a person who is contagious or if we have visited a location a contagious person recently occupied. Not only does it protect the individual, but the greater population. Read More...
Research In Motion Ltd. Warns Update Has Spyware -- Research In Motion Ltd. warned BlackBerry users in the United Arab Emirates that a software upgrade recommended by their wireless carrier was actually surveillance software that could enable unauthorized access to the popular smart phone. (Comment: At least someone is exposing this in the UAE, unlike how things go in the States. - Thanks Jimm!)
EPA Wants Better Monitoring of Airborne Lead -- The agency said it has no plans to change the lead air quality standard, which was tightened last year. But EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said more monitoring may be needed to make certain that the tougher requirements are being followed. Exposure to even very low levels of lead in early life has been linked to damage to a child's IQ, learning disabilities and memory loss. (Comment: They're "concerned" about this, but don't talk about chemtrails or fluoride in the water. Thanks Jimm)
Va. Tech shooter's mental health records surface -- The discovery of missing mental health records of the Virginia Tech gunman has victims' families and the governor questioning the thoroughness of the criminal investigation into the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Mexico to Host the 5th North American Leaders' Summit on August 9 and 10, 2009 -- Mexico will host the North American Leaders’ Summit in Guadalajara on August 9 and 10, 2009. President Obama will join his counterparts—Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper—for this fifth annual summit.
SOTOMAYOR'S CONFIRMATION VOTE RESCHEDULED - HERE'S WHY By: Devvy Kidd -- "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Sotomayor has been a willing participant in a judicially run and tolerated bankruptcy fraud scheme. There is no hesitation on my part when I say that if given all the evidence, a grand jury would indict not only Sotomayor, but several other federal judges involved in this fraud."
Man bursts into flames after being hit by taser -- An Australian man is in a critical condition in hospital after he became engulfed in flames when he was shot by police with a Taser gun.
Bernanke fights audit threat to the fed -- Central bank chief argues more review would compromise independence, seeking to deny legislative victory for one of Fed's biggest opponents.
Top Pentagon contractors unnamed -- All of the work done by the unnamed contractors was in either Iraq or Afghanistan, the analysis shows. However, in previous years, classified contracts still identified the contractors — the listing last year marked the first time the Pentagon omitted the names in such a way. Further, the Defense Department also omitted addresses and other contractor identifiers, and even created false corporate identification numbers, known as “Dunn’s numbers,” for the companies (Aerospace DAILY, May 22, June 24).
World's biggest tsunami -- The largest recorded tsunami was a wave 1720 feet tall in Lituya Bay, Alaska. On the night of July 9, 1958 an earthquake along the Fairweather Fault in the Alaska Panhandle loosened about 40 million cubic yards (30.6 million cubic meters) of rock high above the northeastern shore of Lituya Bay.
Hold the line! The cavalry is coming -- Army Corps construction in Afghanistan - Some amazing things are being done under some unbelievably challenging circumstances.
Speed cameras tackle seatbelt & cell phone offenses in Kent UK -- Speed cameras across Kent, UK, are to be used to catch motorists using their cell phones or not wearing seatbelts, following the completion of a four-month trial in the Medway region between November 2008 and February 2009.
Recent Yellowstone National Park Earthquake Update - July 23, 2009 at 6am CDT
Update time = Thu Jul 23 5:00:05 MDT 2009
Here are the earthquakes appearing on this map, most recent at top ...
MAG DATE LOCAL-TIME LAT LON DEPTH LOCATION
y/m/d h:m:s deg deg km
1.1 2009/07/22 11:23:15 44.386N 110.820W 2.4 38 km (24 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.6 2009/07/22 11:22:37 44.352N 110.845W 2.9 40 km (25 mi) SSE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.4 2009/07/22 11:21:58 44.387N 110.826W 2.2 38 km (24 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.0 2009/07/20 15:26:03 44.650N 110.692W 4.0 33 km (20 mi) E of West Yellowstone, MT
0.4 2009/07/20 08:08:57 44.640N 110.678W 5.7 34 km (21 mi) E of West Yellowstone, MT
0.8 2009/07/20 05:37:08 44.343N 110.441W 6.4 64 km (39 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.2 2009/07/19 16:56:20 44.625N 110.589W 16.0 41 km (26 mi) E of West Yellowstone, MT
0.8 2009/07/19 16:56:02 44.634N 110.660W 8.6 35 km (22 mi) E of West Yellowstone, MT
0.7 2009/07/19 16:54:58 44.637N 110.683W 7.3 34 km (21 mi) E of West Yellowstone, MT
1.1 2009/07/19 16:54:47 44.639N 110.691W 2.0 33 km (20 mi) E of West Yellowstone, MT
1.6 2009/07/17 01:30:14 44.802N 110.215W 5.7 32 km (20 mi) SW of Cooke City-Silver Gate, MT
0.2 2009/07/16 09:50:59 44.751N 110.853W 6.0 22 km (14 mi) ENE of West Yellowstone, MT
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government | 22 July 2009
Text: Obama's Remarks on Health Care --Text of the prepared remarks by President Obama before his White House news conference on Wednesday, as released by the White House. 22 Jul 2009 (Transcript)
White House Discloses Meetings With Health Care Executives 22 Jul 2009 The Obama administration released Wednesday night a list of 15 health-care lobbyists and senior executives who have visited the White House to discuss health-care reform. Guests have included Billy Tauzin of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; Karen Ignagni of America's Health Insurance Plans; Richard Umbdenstock of the American Hospital Association; and J. James Rohack of the American Medical Association, according to a letter from White House Counsel Gregory B. Craig. Senior executives at companies including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, UnitedHealth Group and Merck also visited at least once.
President Obama's Longtime Physician Opposes White House Health Plan, Advocates Single Payer (Democracy Now!) 22 Jul 2009 Dr. David Scheiner was President Obama’s doctor from 1987 until he entered the White House. Today Dr. Scheiner is publicly opposing Obama’s health plan and is calling for a single-payer system.
The class issues in the US health care debate By Kate Randall and Barry Grey 22 July 2009 The Obama administration’s push for health care "reform" has exposed the class realities that dominate American politics and the social interests which Obama defends. Under Obama, the issue of health care reform has been shifted from providing decent medical care for all to slashing the cost of health care to businesses and the government, primarily by cutting costs for Medicare and fundamentally changing the nature of the Medicare program.
Is the Obama Health Care Plan Really Better Than Nothing? By Bruce A. Dixon 22 Jul 2009 Candidate Barack Obama told us to judge his first term by whether he delivers quality affordable health care for all Americans, including nearly fifty million uninsured. So why does his proposal not cover the uninsured till 2013, after the next presidential election when Medicare took only 11 months to cover its first 40 million seniors? Why are corporate media pretending that no opinions exist to Obama’s left? And why has the public option part of the Obama health care plan shrunk from covering 130 million to only 10 million, with 16 million left uninsured altogether?
Bernanke: "I Don't Know" Which Foreign Banks Were Given Half a Trillion --Grayson grills Fed chairman on destination of credit swaps By Paul Joseph Watson 22 Jul 2009 Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke was confronted yesterday by Congressman Alan Grayson about which foreign banks were the recipients of Federal Reserve credit swaps, but he was unable to provide an answer as to where over half a trillion dollars had gone. Asked which European financial institutions received the money, which was handed out by The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), a component of the Federal Reserve System, Bernanke responded, "I don’t know." "Half a trillion dollars and you don’t know who got the money?" asked Grayson. ..[T]he destination of trillions in bailout funds remains hidden after the Fed refused to disclose where it had gone despite a lawsuit filed by Bloomberg.
Pakistan Objects to U.S. Expansion in Afghan War 22 Jul 2009 Pakistan is objecting to expanded American combat operations in neighboring Afghanistan, creating new fissures in the alliance with Washington at a critical juncture when thousands of new American forces are arriving in the region. Pakistani officials have told the Obama administration that the Marines fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan will force militants across the border into Pakistan, with the potential to further inflame the troubled province of Baluchistan, according to Pakistani intelligence officials.
U.S. Deaths Hit a Record High In Afghanistan --Toll of 31 So Far in July Makes For Deadliest Month of the War 22 Jul 2009 U.S. deaths in Afghanistan have surged to a record high this month and are likely to remain elevated as American and NATO forces settle into outposts in southern Afghan villages and cities where Taliban forces have traditionally been the strongest. The rising death toll comes as the country prepares for a presidential 'election' next month, and could erode U.S. public support for a war that is already among the longest in U.S. history.
Two US soldiers killed in Afghanistan 22 Jul 2009 A bomb blast kills two more US soldiers in southern Afghanistan, making July the deadliest month for the US and its allies since the 2001 invasion of the country. "Two International Security Assistance Force service members were killed today in an IED strike that occurred in southern Afghanistan," the NATO-led force said in a statement on Wednesday.
Obama: U.S. on Track to Withdraw All Forces From Iraq by 2011 22 Jul 2009 President Obama said Wednesday that he was "very encouraged" by Iraq's progress in taking over its own security responsibilities and that the United States was on track to withdraw all military forces from the country by 2011. In a brief news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki after the two met for more than an hour at the White House, Obama acknowledged there would be "some tough days ahead.
Obama applauds improved security in Iraq 22 Jul 2009 President Obama, hailing the transfer of authority in Iraq's cities to Iraqi military forces, acknowledged today that "differences in strategy" remain to be resolved, but voiced satisfaction with the level of security in the war-torn nation. Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, in private meetings at the White House, also spoke of both the Obama administration's concern for speedier ethnic reconciliation inside Iraq and the Iraqi government's appetite for accelerated U.S. investment there.
Iraq bombings kill 19 22 Jul 2009 Bombs killed 19 people and wounded 80 across Iraq in a flurry of attacks Tuesday, three weeks after the U.S. military completed its withdrawal from the cities. At least six explosions struck both Shiite and Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad. The Baghdad attacks, including two in the Sadr City district, resulted in 14 deaths.
Leftist Israeli intellectuals demand new Gaza war probe 22 Jul 2009 Leading left-wing Israeli intellectuals signed a petition Wednesday demanding the government to allow an independent, external investigation into last winter's Gaza war. The signatories included authors David Grossman and Amos Oz, as well as outspoken former lawmaker Yossi Sarid of the left-liberal Meretz party and 25 academics, actors, musicians and public figures.
US senators seek softer tone on Iran 22 Jul 2009 The US senators, who proposed tougher sanction against Iran earlier this year, seem to have taken a softer tone in the new amendment they have presented. Although the amendment still calls for more sanctions against Iran in the event of talks failing, it moves away from allegations that Tehran's civilian nuclear program is gearing up to for militarization.
EFF Demands Intelligence Agencies' Reports About Possible Misconduct --Lawsuit Seeks Public Disclosure of Oversight Records Amidst New Questions About Accountability 22 Jul 2009 The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit today against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a half-dozen other federal agencies involved in intelligence gathering, demanding the immediate release of reports about potential misconduct. EFF filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), requesting records of intelligence agencies' reporting of activities since 2001 that might have been unlawful or contrary to presidential order.
The CIA, licensed to kill --The agency has been involved in planning assassinations since at least 1954. By David Wise 22 Jul 2009 The CIA's involvement in planning assassinations goes back at least to 1954, when it prepared a manual for killings as part of a U.S.-run coup against the leftist government of Guatemala. The 19-page manual, which was declassified in 1997, makes chilling reading. "The essential point of assassination is the death of the subject," it declares, noting that while it "is possible to kill a man with the bare hands ... the simplest local tools are often much the most efficient means of assassination. A hammer, ax, wrench, screwdriver, fire poker, kitchen knife, lamp stand or anything hard, heavy and handy will suffice." The agency's manual recommends "the contrived accident" as the best way to dispose of someone.
DNA samples do not fit suspected Jakarta bombers 22 Jul 2009 DNA samples taken from the families of suspects in the Jakarta suicide bombings do not match bodies taken from the blast site. Indonesian police have confirmed the mismatch on remains found at the scenes of last Friday's deadly blasts. The man who was suspected of bombing the Marriott hotel, Nur Hasbi, and a florist named Ibrahim, missing from the Ritz-Carlton hotel, are no longer being regarded as the chief suspects. The negative DNA results will ensure the identities of the suicide bombers remain a mystery until two severed heads found at the bomb sites are identified. [Or, they can just check the Xe DNA database.]
US man accused in 'al-Qaeda' case 22 Jul 2009 An American man has been charged with giving al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] information about the public transport system in New York City, US court papers say. The man, named as Bryant Neal Vinas, is also accused of firing rockets at US troops in Afghanistan last year. Other charges allege he received "military-type training" from al-Qaeda. He has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit murder and providing support to a foreign terrorist organisation.
Honduran unions call general strike 21 Jul 2009 In a direct challenge to Honduras's military dictatorship, the country's three main trade union federations have called a two-day general strike, beginning on Thursday. Yesterday, 150 delegates representing both public and private-sector workers met in the capital city Tegucigalpa. Speaker after speaker angrily denounced the military regime and demanded the return of elected President Manuel Zelaya.
'Swine flu is going to be positive for the performance [of the company].' Glaxo unmasked: drug firm to make £1bn from swine flu 23 Jul 2009 Britain's largest pharmaceuticals company could make up to £1bn from sales of its swine flu vaccine by the end of the year, industry analysts said yesterday as the first trials of the drug began in Australia. GlaxoSmithKline is to sell the vaccine for up to £6 a dose in Western countries, and the first supplies are due to arrive in Britain in September. Andrew Witty, GSK's chief executive, refused to apologise for the boost in earnings, pointing out that GSK had invested more than $2.5bn (£1.5bn) in its vaccine [pandemic] development programme over the past few years.
Swine flu vaccine will need compensation rules: Expert --No plans here to aid those injured from the immunization 21 Jul 2009 A leading public health expert is calling on Canada to create a no-fault compensation program for people who may be harmed by a swine flu vaccine that millions of Canadians will be urged by the government to get this fall. Kumanan Wilson, Canada research chair in public health at the University of Ottawa, said in an interview with Canwest News Service that children and adults could be exposed to an incompletely tested vaccine and that a compensation scheme is needed to encourage the public to buy into any mass immunization program. [We are not 'buying into' Baxter's pandemic propaganda promoting their WMDs. --LRP]
World's first human swine flu vaccine trials begin 22 Jul 2009 The world's first human trials of a vaccine to protect against swine flu have begun in Australia, it has been announced. It will be at least six weeks before the initial results show whether the vaccine is effective. Adelaide-based Vaxine, one of two pharmaceutical companies undertaking the vaccine trials in Australia, began tests on Monday with 300 adult volunteers.
Swine flu triggers 'plague rule' in church ritual --Swine flu has spurred the Church of England to revive a rule drawn up more than 450 years ago when bubonic plague swept the land. 21 Jul 2009 As concern mounts about the spread of the virus, which has killed at least 29 people in the UK, some Anglican churches have begun to allow "intinction" or dipping bread in communion wine rather than sharing the chalice, while others have stopped offering wine altogether. The practices are permitted under the 1547 Sacrament Act, introduced after the plague, which requires both bread and wine to be given "except necessity otherwise require".
Key Flu 'Oddities': Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions; US, Japanese Researchers Mix Samples of 1918 Flu Pandemic to Recreate Deadly Code 30 Dec 2008; Donald Rumsfeld makes $5m killing on bird flu drug 12 Mar 2006 Donald Rumsfeld has made a killing out of bird flu. The US Defence Secretary has made more than $5m (£2.9m) in capital gains from selling shares in the biotechnology firm that discovered and developed Tamiflu; University of Qld unveils swine flu vaccine made with insect eggs 29 Jun 2009; Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu, though admitted sending live pandemic flu viruses to subcontractor 26 Jun 2009; Baxter Vaccine 'Oddities' 17 Jul 2009 Baxter files swine flu vaccine patent year ahead of outbreak; Drug groups to reap swine flu billions 20 Jul 2009.]
Taiwan scientists unveil new weapon in swine flu fight 21 Jul 2009 Taiwanese scientists said Tuesday they had developed an organic compound which could help control the global swine flu epidemic as the worldwide death toll from the disease passed 700. The compound, which the researchers call NTU-VirusBom, can destroy viruses such as A(H1N1) swine flu and avian influenza and stop the spread of bacteria including those responsible for staph infections.
Records of Virginia Tech Gunman Discovered --Criminal investigation is underway to determine how the employee was able to take the records and why the documents were not uncovered during state investigations following the shooting 22 Jul 2009 Virginia Tech gunman Seung Hui Cho had been treated at the college's counseling center before the shooting rampage in which he killed 32 students, contradicting earlier accounts of his psychiatric history, according to newly discovered mental health records located in the home of the center's former director. According to a memo written by a university lawyer and obtained by The Washington Post, the former director, Robert Miller, had moved the records into his home more than a year before the April 16, 2007, massacre, during which Cho also took his own life. Word the records had been found first came from Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine during a Wednesday morning news conference. [See: Virginia Tech Shooting 'Oddities' --Seung-Hui Cho in U.S. Marines uniform, pulled from Wikipedia By Lori Price Iraq link to campus killer Cho 19 Apr 2007 The sister of the gunman responsible for the deadliest shooting rampage in modern US history works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees billions of dollars in American aid for Iraq.]
Woman, Shooter Both Die After Shots Fired In Fort Lewis PX 22 Jul 2009 (WA) Two people are dead after an initial investigation shows a man fatally shot a woman and then turned the gun on himself at the Fort Lewis Main Post Exchange, according to a press release from the Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office. Army spokesman Mike Garcia said a 59-year-old Army retiree shot a woman.
Senate rejects bid to carry concealed weapons across state lines 22 Jul 2009 The Senate today narrowly defeated an effort to allow gun owners to carry their concealed weapons across state lines. The 58-39 vote was short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. Twenty Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, joined 38 Republicans in supporting the measure. The legislation would have allowed people who have concealed-weapon permits in their home states to take their firearms into other states -- including California and others that currently prohibit the practice.
Previous lead stories: Agencies to set up mass swine flu vaccinations --Voluntary vaccine 'likely' 21 Jul 2009 Public health experts are gearing up for swine flu vaccinations this fall in what could be the largest mass-immunization campaign since the polio vaccine was introduced more than 50 years ago. Local public health agencies will bear much of the responsibility for vaccinating the public, and the state is receiving $30 million in federal grants to help prepare for an expected re-emergence of swine flu this fall. The polio vaccine was mandatory, but a flu vaccine is likely to be voluntary.
Cui bono? Drug groups to reap swine flu billions 20 Jul 2009 Some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies are reaping billions of dollars in extra revenue amid global concern about the spread of swine flu. Analysts expect to see a boost in sales from GlaxoSmithKline, Roche and Sanofi-Aventis... The fresh sales -- on top of strong results from Novartis of Switzerland and Baxter of the US, which both also produce vaccines -- come as the latest tallies show that more than 740 people have died from the H1N1 virus... One beneficiary of the fears about the pandemic has been Roche of Switzerland, which sells Tamiflu, the leading antiviral drug, and has seen a sharp rise in orders from private companies as well as governments.
To the media in America, Obama can do little wrong. To the rest of America, he's the third least popular president since World War II
To the media in America, President Barack Obama can do little wrong. To the rest of America, he's the third least popular president since World War II. This according to a USAToday/Gallup poll released today.
And it should come as no surprise.
With a majority of Americans disagreeing with many of the president's top priorities, from healthcare to government spending to handling the economy, it appears that the president is grasping at straws. With his June 24 primetime town hall on healthcare getting pummeled in the ratings by CSI and The Philanthropist last month, the President is determined to not go down without a fight. If he cannot compel people to watch his diatribe on healthcare, he'll force people to watch. On July 22, 2009 a primetime presidential press conference will be held at 9:00pm EST. With the major networks sure to carry the event (CSI and the Philanthropist are out of the way) and with all the cable news channels covering the press conference as well, President Obama is sure to get his message out this time. But is it too little too late?
Consider this:
- Democrat members in the House and Senate are beginning to question the President's healthcare plan. As a result, the DNC is playing hardball and has purchased ad airtime in many key markets with those ads directed at their own Democratic representatives and senators.
- A 2012 matchup already has Mitt Romney tied with President Obama at 45%.
- Only 32% of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction.
- Among all voters, Republicans beat Democrats on a generic congressional ballot 40% to 37%.
- Last but certainly not least, in that same poll independents would vote GOP by a 2-1 margin over their Democrat rivals.
President Obama's celebrity is fading fast. Maybe he should have stuck by his campaign promises of bipartisanship instead of, in the words of President Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, letting a good crisis go to waste. It appears that philosophy has all but backfired.
Michael Savage Still Banned in England
Savage repeatedly warned his listeners yesterday that neither he or his attorneys have received any official indication that the ban had been lifted.
A weekend newspaper report appears to have been inaccurate.
The press representative indicated that while no visa is required of Americans visiting England, Michael Savage, would be detained by immigration authorities if he attempted to enter the country, and refused entry.
As recently as yesterday the British Home Office informed the embassy office that there has been no change in Michael Savage's ban.